What order do you record the different instruments in?

[zenx]

In what order do you guys record the different players? What dummy tracks do you use? I've heard of a few techniques:

1. Drums first, drummer plays to click and/or dummy guitar. then bass, guitars and vocals afterwards.
2. Drums + bass together live, guitars and vocals over this.
3. Whole band together live, some overdubbed guitars, and vocals after.
4. Whole band together live, when there's a good take drums are overdubbed on the guitars from the live performance, then the guitars bass and vocals are overdubbed on these drums.
5. Same as above without overdubbing the drums, but using the live ones instead.
6. The final guitars are recorded FIRST to a click, DRUMS are overdubbed on guitars, then bass and vocals
7: Dummy drums are recorded to dummy guitar and click, final guitar is recorded to these dummy drums, and the final drums are overdubbed to these final guitars. whoa
8...

?

How do you do it? Advantages/disadvantages/experience of these different methods? Has anybody used 6 or 7 before? Do you think they're a good idea?!?

Do you always use clicks?

ahhh questions questions questions

 

[johnzorn]

I like to do number one, drums first. I'm really not a pro at recording, but having a good take of the drums is just as good as having a click track. Since for me drums are a big part in the feel of the song, having those done first gives more of that jam along feel. Of course if your a pro, I guess you just ask the band which option they wanna do and you can wing it from there.

 

[Hopkins-WitchfinderGeneral]

Drums first, then rythym guitars, then bass, then leads and vocals alternating so noone gets burnt out.

 

[2dark]

on our last album we did drums, bass and one rhythm guitar at the same time
to a click track. 2nd rhythm guitar, lead guitars and vocals afterwards.
no demo recording or dummy tracks.

on the upcoming album we try to go like this:
record all songs and all instrument/vocal tracks demo like (to click).
if everything works out like we want it, those tracks will be used as
dummy tracks in the real studio.
drums go first (because we'll use a different studio for this), then
rhythm guitars, bass, lead guitars, vocals (in that order).
every recorded track will then replacing the corresponding dummy track.

it is maybe a bit over the top, but i don't want to end up with time/money
wasting discussion about things like 'no one told me that this part was changed bla bla bla' again.

 

[Cooperman]

Drums (with click and dummy guitar track) -> rhythm guitars -> bass -> leads -> vocals

 

[_RiseInside_]

why do you record bass after the guitars ? is it just a tuning issue ?

 

[Andy Sneap]

yes, totally tuning issue and also this is gtr driven music so bass should fit in around gtr tone

 

[ThomasT]

My clients are usually demo-bands. So one reason to record the bass later is to know the songs and give the bassplayer the right tips. Normally the bass players are the worst musician in the band. And if they are better, they often play too much notes. And solos on the wrong parts, parts which need a simple powerful bass line.

 

[Ermz]

^ ... so damned true.

 

[johnzorn]

My clients are usually demo-bands. So one reason to record the bass later is to know the songs and give the bassplayer the right tips. Normally the bass players are the worst musician in the band. And if they are better, they often play too much notes. And solos on the wrong parts, parts which need a simple powerful bass line.

On that same note in a sense, what if the bass player is on an equal level with the guitars/guitarist. The bassist I play with is a very profient guy and is picky about his tone(its a slightly more mid range, sort of funk/fusion and tuned down a whole step.) Also he doesn't use a pick, he's 50/50 finger/thumbs. A problem I seem to have most of the time is mixing him in right because his tone is more of an Alex Webster-ish tone at times and plus if I"m tremolo picking, he does this thumb technique on his bass that makes it sound smoother, yet with his tone, kind of hard to mix in. But then again I'm not really good at mixing yet, and I probably should have started a next thread on this one But then again I guess I'd rather have a good bassist, then just some bassist who's extra baggage.

 

[Lopes]

Depends on the musicians you're recording. When I'm doing my own stuff I like to record all of my rhythm guitars first to a click because I play a lot better to a click than the drummer can. Then I do drums, then bass, then vocals and I like to record solos last because I just feel better laying down a solo over an almost completed track.

When recording others, I like to start with the best player, usually the guitarist. However, if the drummer happens to be the best I record a scratch track of guitar to a click, so that there is some sort of musical reference, which makes the drummer's performance sound less mechanical. If the bass player happens to be the best... hmm... it hasn't happened yet.

 

[ThomasT]

On that same note in a sense, what if the bass player is on an equal level with the guitars/guitarist.

I have no problem to record the bass first.
I am a bass player. And I record my bass before guitars.

I know there are producers who take the bass as a tuning reference.
Andy says - and I know what he means - that a bass must sometimes tuned lower. But it would be interesting if it is not a tuning issue of the guitars.
In _theorie_ it is equal. The bass is exactly one octave below guitars. Sometime s the octave tuning of the guitars are wrong. So a quint is not always a real quint and a slitely detuned bass matches better.

 

[egan.]

Drums (with click and dummy guitar track) -> rhythm guitars -> bass -> leads -> vocals

I'll second that

 

[johnzorn]

ALSO, what if the drummer sucks, or really doesn't enforce the song enough(ya know, the band is only as good as the drummer thing.) Do you pull out the ol' Roland SR-16, or or go with the high-class hooker Drumkit From Hell? Or do you get in at night and player over his track?

 

[Exsanguis]

Record demo guitars to a click, then drums to the click and guitars, then bass, then guitar solos/melodies, then keyboards, then vocals. Rinse and repeat.

 

[SPLASTiK]

I usually would do this.

Whole band on the floor to get good drum takes to click track, with gtr/bass rigs in iso-booths for scratch tracks.

Then guitars, then bass, then guitar solos, then vocals.